Excludes disputed territories such as: (1) Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu which the Republic of China has continued to govern after the PRC replaced it on the mainland, (2) disputed areas between China and India.

The People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Vietnam each claim sovereignty over the entire group of islands, while Brunei, Malaysia,and the Philippines each claim various parts; includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 km² of the central South China Sea. (source: CIA Factbook[15])